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Windows Autopilot for pre-provisioned deployment

Windows Autopilot helps organizations easily provision new devices by using the preinstalled OEM image and drivers. This functionality lets end users get their devices business-ready by using a simple process.

Diagram of the OEM process.

Windows Autopilot can also provide a pre-provisioning service that helps partners or IT staff pre-provision a fully configured and business-ready Windows PC. From the end user's perspective, the Windows Autopilot user-driven experience is unchanged, but getting their device to a fully provisioned state is faster.

With Windows Autopilot for pre-provisioned deployment, the provisioning process is split. The time-consuming portions are done by IT, partners, or OEMs. The end user simply completes a few necessary settings and policies and then they can begin using their device.

Diagram of the OEM process with partner.

Pre-provisioned deployments use Microsoft Intune in currently supported versions of Windows. Such deployments build on existing Windows Autopilot user-driven scenarios and support user-driven mode scenarios for both Microsoft Entra joined and Microsoft Entra hybrid joined devices.

Prerequisites

In addition to Windows Autopilot requirements, Windows Autopilot for pre-provisioned deployment also requires:

  • A currently supported version of Windows.
  • Windows Pro, Enterprise, or Education editions.
  • An Intune subscription.
  • Physical devices that support Trusted Platform Module (TPM) 2.0 and device attestation. Virtual machines aren't supported. The pre-provisioning process uses Windows Autopilot self-deploying capabilities, so TPM 2.0 is required. The TPM attestation process also requires access to a set of HTTPS URLs that are unique for each TPM provider. For more information, see the entry for Autopilot self-Deploying mode and Autopilot pre-provisioning in Networking requirements.
  • Network connectivity. Using wireless connectivity requires selecting region, language and keyboard before you're able to connect and start provisioning.
  • An enrollment status page (ESP) profile must be targeted to the device.

Important

  • Because the OEM or vendor performs the pre-provisioning process, this process doesn't require access to an end-user's on-prem domain infrastructure. The pre-provisioning process is unlike a typical Microsoft Entra hybrid joined scenario because rebooting the device is postponed. The device is resealed before the time when connectivity to a domain controller is expected, and the domain network is contacted when the device is unboxed on-premises by the end-user.

  • See Windows Autopilot known issues and Troubleshoot Autopilot device import and enrollment to review known issues and their solutions.

Preparation

Devices slated for pre-provisioning are registered for Autopilot via the normal registration process.

To be ready to try out Windows Autopilot for pre-provisioned deployment, make sure that you can first successfully use existing Windows Autopilot user-driven scenarios:

  • User-driven Microsoft Entra join. Make sure that you can deploy devices using Windows Autopilot and join them to a Microsoft Entra ID tenant.

  • User-driven with Microsoft Entra hybrid join. To enable the features of Microsoft Entra hybrid join, make sure that you can:

    • Deploy devices using Windows Autopilot.
    • Join the devices to an on-premises Active Directory domain.
    • Register the devices with Microsoft Entra ID.

    Important

    Microsoft recommends deploying new devices as cloud-native using Microsoft Entra join. Deploying new devices as Microsoft Entra hybrid join devices isn't recommended, including through Autopilot. For more information, see Microsoft Entra joined vs. Microsoft Entra hybrid joined in cloud-native endpoints: Which option is right for your organization.

If these scenarios can't be completed, Windows Autopilot for pre-provisioned deployment also doesn't succeed since it builds on top of these scenarios.

Before starting the pre-provisioning process in the provisioning service facility, you must configure another Autopilot profile setting by using your Intune account. A detailed tutorial on how to configure an Autopilot profile for pre-provisioning is available in the following articles:

The pre-provisioning process applies all device-targeted policies from Intune. Those policies include certificates, security templates, settings, apps, and more - anything targeting the device. Additionally, any Win32 or LOB apps are installed if they meet the following conditions:

  • Configured to install in the device context.
  • Assigned to either the device or to the user preassigned to the Autopilot device.

Important

Make sure not to target both Win32 and LOB apps to the same device. For more information, see Add a Windows line-of-business app to Microsoft Intune.

Note

Select the language mode as user specified in Autopilot profiles to ensure easy access into pre-provisioning mode. The pre-provisioning technician phase installs all device-targeted apps and any user-targeted, device-context apps that are targeted to the assigned user. If there's no assigned user, then it only installs the device-targeted apps. Other user-targeted policies aren't applied until the user signs into the device. To verify these behaviors, be sure to create appropriate apps and policies targeted to devices and users.

Scenarios

Windows Autopilot for pre-provisioned deployment supports two distinct scenarios:

  • User-driven deployments with Microsoft Entra join. The device is joined to a Microsoft Entra tenant.

  • User-driven deployments with Microsoft Entra hybrid join. The device is joined to an on-premises Active Directory domain, and separately registered with Microsoft Entra ID.

    Important

    Microsoft recommends deploying new devices as cloud-native using Microsoft Entra join. Deploying new devices as Microsoft Entra hybrid join devices isn't recommended, including through Autopilot. For more information, see Microsoft Entra joined vs. Microsoft Entra hybrid joined in cloud-native endpoints: Which option is right for your organization.

Each of these scenarios consists of two parts, a technician flow and a user flow. At a high level, these parts are the same for Microsoft Entra join and Microsoft Entra hybrid join. The differences are primarily seen by the end user in the authentication steps.

Technician flow

After the customer or IT Admin targets all the apps and settings they want for their devices through Intune, the pre-provisioning technician can begin the pre-provisioning process. The technician could be a member of the IT staff, a services partner, or an OEM - each organization can decide who should perform these activities. Regardless of the scenario, the process done by the technician is the same:

  • Boot the device.

  • From the first out-of-box experience (OOBE) screen (which could be a language selection, locale selection screen, or the Microsoft Entra sign-in page), don't select Next. Instead, press the Windows key five times to view another options dialog. From that screen, choose the Windows Autopilot provisioning option and then select Continue.

  • On the Windows Autopilot Configuration screen, it displays the following information about the device:

    • The Autopilot profile assigned to the device.

    • The organization name for the device.

    • The user assigned to the device (if there's one).

    • A QR code containing a unique identifier for the device. You can use this code to look up the device in Intune, which you might want to do to make configuration changes. For example, assign a user or add the device to groups needed for app or policy targeting.

      Note

      The QR codes can be scanned using a companion app. The app also configures the device to specify who it belongs to. The Autopilot team created an open-source sample of a companion app that integrates with Intune by using the Graph API. It's available on GitHub.

  • Validate the information displayed. If any changes are needed, make the changes, and then select Refresh to redownload the updated Autopilot profile details.

  • Select Provision to begin the provisioning process.

If the pre-provisioning process completes successfully:

  • A success status screen appears with information about the device, including the same details presented previously. For example, Autopilot profile, organization name, assigned user, and QR code. The elapsed time for the pre-provisioning steps is also provided.

  • Select Reseal to shut down the device. At that point, the device can be shipped to the end user.

Note

Technician flow inherits behavior from self-deploying mode. Self-Deploying Mode uses the Enrollment Status Page to hold the device in a provisioning state. The device being in a provisioning state prevents the user from proceeding to the desktop after enrollment but before software and configuration are done applying. As such, if Enrollment Status Page is disabled, the reseal button can appear before software and configuration is done applying. This behavior can allow proceeding to the user flow before the technician flow provisioning is complete. The success screen validates that enrollment was successful, not that the technician flow is necessarily complete.

If the pre-provisioning process fails:

  • An error status screen appears with information about the device, including the same details presented previously. For example, Autopilot profile, organization name, assigned user, and QR code. The elapsed time for the pre-provisioning steps is also provided.
  • Diagnostic logs can be gathered from the device, and then it can be reset to start the process over again.

User flow

Important

  • In order to make sure tokens are refreshed properly between the Technician flow and the User flow, wait at least 90 minutes after running the Technician flow before running the User flow. This scenario mainly affects lab and testing scenarios when the User flow is run within 90 minutes after the Technician flow completes.

  • Compliance in Microsoft Entra ID is reset during the User flow. Devices might show as compliant in Microsoft Entra ID after the Technician flow completes, but then show as noncompliant once the User flow starts. Allow enough time after the User flow completes for compliance to reevaluate and update.

If the pre-provisioning process completed successfully and the device was resealed, you can deliver to the end user. The end user completes the normal Windows Autopilot user-driven process following these steps:

  • Power on the device.

  • Select the appropriate language, locale, and keyboard layout.

  • Connect to a network (if using Wi-Fi). Internet access is always required. If using Microsoft Entra hybrid join, there must also be connectivity to a domain controller.

  • If using Microsoft Entra join, on the branded sign-on screen, enter the user's Microsoft Entra credentials.

  • If using Microsoft Entra hybrid join, the device will reboot; after the reboot, enter the user's Active Directory credentials.

    Note

    In certain circumstances, Microsoft Entra credentials can also be prompted for during a Microsoft Entra hybrid join scenario. For example, if ADFS isn't being used.

  • More policies and apps are delivered to the device, as tracked by the Enrollment Status Page (ESP). Once complete, the user can access the desktop.

The device ESP reruns during the user flow so that both device and user ESP run when the user logs in. This behavior allows the ESP to install other policies that are assigned to the device after the device completes the technician phase.

Note

If the Microsoft Account Sign-In Assistant (wlidsvc) is disabled during the Technician Flow, the Microsoft Entra sign-in option may not show. Instead, users are asked to accept the EULA, and create a local account, which may not be the desired behavior.